


Live as an Untold Story

by Daringdrinkerofdreams



Category: Uncharted
Genre: M/M, alternative universe, snarky assholes treasure hunting together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-12 05:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7087330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daringdrinkerofdreams/pseuds/Daringdrinkerofdreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Both Rafe and Harry are on the hunt for the lost treasure of King John when circumstances force them to team up. They decide they might as well keep this going, since treasure hunting is much more fun when you have someone to banter with along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter I

**Author's Note:**

> I started thinking about a team up between those two, and the idea stayed with me. This is the first thing I have written in a while, so please bear with me, the quality will hopefully improve.  
> The title comes from the song 'Could have been me' by the Struts
> 
> Not Beta read, all mistakes are my own.

To say Harry Flynn had a shitty week was putting it mildly. He finally figured out the bloody clue, which would lead to King Johns lost treasure, he was ready to go, and then his employer pulled the brakes, started talking about needing more time to plan and to prepare. When he started to work for this guy, Harry figured himself lucky, rich and inexperienced was his favourite type of boss, someone to pay everything up until the end and then pull a fast one on him and get the treasure for himself. And now he was stuck here in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, with nothing to do but sit on his ass and wait for god knows how long.

Harry signalled the bartender to pour him another drink, while looking around the small hotel bar he had seen way too much of the last few days, desperate for any form of entertainment. Apart from two other guests, who looked so dreadfully boring he wasn’t even going to risk a conversation with them, the only remotely interesting thing was the old pool table in the corner, which wasn’t much use to him alone.  
Right when Harry started contemplating if the frankly disturbing amount of cheap fish-themed decorations would be less offensive to the eye after getting shitfaced, the door of the bar opened. Through it stepped a guy about his age, with dark hair and a handsome enough face for Harry to be sure he would have noticed him, had he seen him here before. 

The newcomer took a quick, sweeping look at the room before sitting down at the bar, leaving one free stool between them. Listening to the short chat between him and the bartender revealed to Harry that the guy was American and that he had just arrived in town on a business trip. Much more interesting to him however, was the Rolex on his wrist, and, well, the muscular arm attached to it was also quiet appealing. Harry’s evening just got much more exciting.  
After nursing his drink for a few more minutes, and carefully continuing listening to the American making small talk with the bartender, Harry found his opening and with it also a golden opportunity to not only get some entertainment but also a few extra bucks. Putting on his most charming smile, he turned to his left.  
“Hey mate, sorry to interrupt but I have a few hours to kill and I think I overheard something about the pool table over there. You interested in playing a few rounds?”  
The stranger seemed surprised for a moment before returning his smile, “Sure, I could use a distraction. But fair warning, I don’t see the point of playing for nothing, what are the stakes?”

Harry had to fight to keep his smile just interested and not downright predatory, this guy might as well just hand him his wallet now, he practically was doing all the work for him.  
“A man after my own heart,” he chuckled, “but I haven’t played pool in ages, how about to start with, we play for the next round?”  
This made the man smirk and he seemed amused as he said: “Sure, but I won’t go easy on you.” 

So far this was going right after textbook, get the guy to agree to play a few rounds, keep losing, slowly raise the stakes, and then go double or nothing and finally win the last round. Something told Harry, if he got the guy drunk enough, he could probably even persuade him to gamble away his Rolex. And if he wasn’t as easy a target he seemed now, well, there were other fun ways to kill some time, preferably involving a closer inspection of those arms and the toned chest between them.

“Alright”, Harry offered him his hand, “I am Harry by the way.”

A firm handshake. “My name is Raphael, but please, call me Rafe.”

 

\-----------

 

About two hours later, it was clear to Harry that he was going to take Rafe’s Rolex up to his room tonight and not the man himself, since he was way too drunk already. Almost a pity, really, but such an ideal target was something Harry just had to take advantage of.  
As it turned out, Rafe was not only rich, but he was also a very proud, very competitive man and also a lightweight. Seriously, where was this guy all his life?

A slightly swaying Rafe was looking through his wallet right now only to realize that he had no cash anymore, since the last game had been double or nothing, and Harry had, of course, won. Now only a little more coaxing and Harry’s week will not have been a complete waste. 

“Looks like I got finally lucky, huh? I say we let it be and I’ll buy another round.”

At that, Rafe frowned and shook his head, “No, no, I’ll play you again, can’t have some beginner beat me.”  
His words were starting to slur and his hair started to look dishevelled, destroying the pristine look he had at the beginning of the evening.  
Now all Harry had to do was not appear to eager, let Rafe think it was his idea.  
“I hate to break it to you mate, but I think you’re out of money.”  
Appeal to his ego, “You’ll have to admit defeat on this one.”  
The frown on Rafe’s face deepened, and he looked like he was pouting now. 

Harry looked at his own watch, and pretend to be surprised, “Oh, I hadn’t realized how late it already is.” Rafe was following his example, and looked at his own watch.  
“I’ll play you for my watch.” Gotcha.

“Nah mate, I couldn’t, really, that thing looks expensive.”  
Rafe snorted, “Money is no problem, believe me. Also, it won’t matter ‘cause I won’t lose.”  
Harry had to hide a smile, “If you say so.”

It only took Harry a few minutes, and he was holding a shiny new Rolex in his hands. Rafe didn’t seem to bothered by this, more so by the fact that he lost, but then again he seemed to be really drunk right now. Announcing that this wasn’t over yet, he staggered towards the toilet. Walking past Harry, he would have tripped over his own feet, hadn’t the Brit reached out and steadied him.  
“Careful buddy, you alright?” asked Harry, doing his best to sound worried and not amused.  
Rafe waved off his concern and continues this way into the hallway. Harry took a moment to admire the view of him walking away, again feeling almost bad that the evening hadn’t progressed in a different direction. 

When Rafe was out of his sight, he decided to use this opportunity to put away all the cash he had won earlier. He slid his hand down his pocket, to get his wallet out and froze, then frantically started to pat down all his pockets, only to realize they all were empty. His wallet was gone. And his phone.

Swearing he started after Rafe, rounded the corner and found it empty. The only two doors were the one to the toilets and a staff room, which needed a key card. He looked in the toilets without much hope, and of course, it was empty. Taking a closer at the Rolex he was expecting it to be fake, but was surprised to find it real. But in his wallet were only a few bucks, and the watch was worth thousands, so really the trade of wasn’t even close. Except, if this wasn’t about his wallet… And if it was about his phone… The bloody letter, he had a photograph of the translated letter on it. The goddamn bastard was after the treasure and had played him from the beginning.  
Harry kicked the wall, and cursed again. Then he forced himself to calm down and think about it rationally. He went back to the main room of the bar and headed straight for the bartender. 

“The man who was here before, Rafe, is he a guest at this hotel?”  
The bartender was clearly hesitating, which was a sign that he knew something. Annoyed, Harry hit the top of the bar, startling the other man, who seemed now to realize that they were the only two people left in the room.  
“I suggest you start talking, or I won’t ask nice again”, Harry snarled.  
This worked, as the bartender raised his hands in a placating gesture and said, “Alright, he isn’t, he paid me for my key card and to pretend like he was a guest but said to put no booze in his drinks, he told me not to ask questions and it was a lot of money so-“  
Knowing everything he needed to know, Harry turned away from the rambling man and stalked out of the bar, to find the nearest payphone. The sooner he told his employer about this, the better. At least now, even he would realize that they had no time to loose. 

 

\-----------

 

Rafe Adler was having a fantastic week. One of his contacts had informed him that there were rumours about a new development concerning the treasure of King John, missing since 1216, which supposedly included not only the crown jewels but also jewellery and gold coins. Apparently a letter had been found that linked the lost riches to the pirate known as Eustace the monk, who had supported the French in the war against England from 1215 until his death in 1217.

Upon hearing this, Rafe had immediately taken the next flight to England, to meet his contact for more information in Norfolk. The woman had in turn introduced him to the right people to bribe to learn that a man named Harry Flynn was currently in possession of the letter and also owned the cipher needed to translate its contents. Finding out the whereabouts of Harry Flynn had been easy enough once Rafe knew who he was working for and just had to follow the credit card trail, especially considering he was still in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. An amateur move, in Rafes opinion.

After having Flynn followed for two days to find out what he was up to, Rafe decided it was time to make contact and scoop out the situation himself. From everything he had learned about him, the guy had plenty of free time and seemed restless, which was a good indicator that he had already translated the letter and was waiting on something. Probably the necessary funding from his employer to continue his search, a problem Rafe wouldn’t run into. 

The bartender of the hotel Flynn was staying in was happy enough to take his money and not ask any questions, making it easy for Rafe to pose as a hotel guest. It didn’t take long for Flynn to take notice of him, or better put, notice of his wealth. He was subtle enough about it, but he was far from being the first guy who thought of Rafe as an easy target. And if Rafe was a few years younger, he had to admit, he would have been all too happy to naively fall for Flynn’s charming smile.  
He wasn’t though, and Flynn wasn’t even creative about his hustling attempt. The fact that he was almost following along a textbook instruction made him all too predictable, which in turn made it easy for Rafe to give the reactions expected from an unsuspecting victim. He hadn’t even necessarily planned to play Flynn but this was an opportunity he just couldn’t let go by unused.

So when Flynn was trying to coax him into playing a last round for his watch, Rafe knew this was his opportunity. Surely, a shiny new Rolex would distract the thief enough for Rafe to get to his phone. 

It didn’t take long for Flynn to beat him, and Rafe didn’t even have to pretend too much to be upset about losing. Even when planned, he had never been good at admitting defeat.  
He slurred something about this not being over, almost concerned with playing up the drunk angle too much for it to be believable, but Flynn seemed to be distract enough with his win to notice anything. On his way to the toilet he pretended to trip, and when Flynn reached out to steady him, he quickly swiped the man’s phone and wallet from his pocket.  
“Careful buddy, you alright?” asked Flynn when he was back on his own feet.  
Rafe waved off the question which he assumed was supposed to sound less amused than it did, and kept on pretend stumbling out of the bar.

As soon as he was around the corner, he used the key card the bartender had given him to walk through the door to the staff room and from there out the backdoor into an alley behind the hotel. To be honest, Rafe had only needed Flynn’s phone, since photos of the translated letter were on it, in order to be sent to Flynn’s employer, but he just handed the guy his Rolex and a few hundred bucks, and Rafe had never denied being petty.

Rafe couldn’t keep the satisfied smile of his face, as he quickly made his way to the place his driver was waiting and got in the car, telling the man to immediately take him to the harbour, where his boat was stationed. During the drive he couldn’t help but keep drumming his fingers impatiently on his knee, wanting to find out the content of the letter as fast as possible. However, for that to be possible he needed the decryption software on his laptop, which he had stored on the boat just to be safe. 

After half an hour, which felt like an eternity to Rafe, they finally arrived at the docks and he had to control himself to not sprint to the laptop to plug the phone in.

Anticipation started to boil in his chest as he starred at the display, where the software was doing everything it promised when he bought it. It only took minutes to gain access to every bit of data stored on the phone and Rafe couldn’t help but hold his breath as he opened the photograph of the translated letter. He quickly read through it, and then carefully repeated the process, slower this time, to make sure he didn’t miss anything. 

The rumours were true, the letter was from Eustace himself, sent to his brother to inform him that Eustace was bringing ‘England’s royal treasure’ to their base.  
Laughter bubbled from Rafes chest and he leaned back in his chair to enjoy the rush of adrenaline that made his heart beat faster. He knew exactly where he needed to go.


	2. Chapter II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While King John's lost treasure, Eustace the Monk and Sark are all real, any connection between them is made up by me.  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter.

The journey to the Bailiwick of Jersey took 2 days. From there, Rafe and one hired mercenary named Mathis continued on by a ferry which took them from Jersey to Sark, since it was the only way to get to the island.

Sark was a small island with only about 600 inhabitants and also one of the few remaining places in the world where cars were banned, which meant Rafe and Mathis had to carry on either by a horse drawn carriage or by foot. They decided to forgo the horses, since they were more likely to be a hindrance than a help, as they would be scaling down the wall of a cliff.

Rafe found the place they were looking for after an hour of meticulously searching on the edge of the cliffs for anything with Eustace’s symbol on it. The small carving into the stone wall could have been easily overlooked by anyone who didn’t know what to look for, and a look over the edge revealed that there was no safe land on the bottom of the cliffs, just sharp rocks and the crashing waves of the sea. Nonetheless, Rafe signalled Mathis to get out the climbing gear and they started the descent down the wall.

Mathis was a quiet man, who only spoke when asked a question, and then with a heavy French accent. Rafe had found him an excellent employee so far, he enjoyed the quiet that made it easier to think about their next steps. Even now, scaling down a cliff into no discernible safety, the man uttered not one complaint.

About three quarters down, Rafe could see an opening in the wall that was not visible from above, since it was under a small overhang. With a short jump to his left, Rafe was able to reach the edge of the opening and climb inside. After taking a sweeping look around, he decided that this must be the right place and shouted up to Mathis to follow him inside.

The daylight didn’t reach very far into the rock tunnel, and they were soon forced to rely on their flashlights to see the path before them. The tunnel had a slight decline to it and after a few minutes of walking, the roaring of the sea was echoing off the walls of the cave. The sound got louder the further they walked and finally, the tunnel ended into large cave that was somewhere underwater connected to the sea.

“I guess in Eustace’s times this entrance to the cave was open enough to reach the surface and allow ships directly in here”, said Rafe, more thinking out loud than talking to Mathis.

Carefully navigating the wet stones on the path close to the cave wall, they explored further until Mathis called out: “Up there, I think I can see the beginning of stairs.”  
Rafe looked where his companion was shining his flashlight, and indeed just a few centimetres above their heads were clearly man-made steps.  
“Give me a boost.”

Mathis complied with the request and in turn Rafe pulled him up as soon as he was safely stood on the first step.

With each step up, Rafe could feel himself getting more excited. He hadn’t doubted his conclusion but man made steps were a clear sign that they were at the right place. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins and he had to control himself to keep a steady pace to not fall on the uneven steps in the dark.

The stairs led into another cave, smaller this time and further away from the sea. Inside the cave were two statues, on was clearly Eustace and the other had to be his brother, Hector, who was his second in command and took over as captain after Eustace’s death.

Between the statues was some sort of gate that was connected to a mechanism, which ran into the floor beneath the statues.

Upon looking closer, Rafe could see that there were pressure plates with different patterns on the side of either statue. Just as he was leaning in to decipher the symbols on the plates, a voice spoke from the behind him.

“Well would you look at that, fancy seeing you here darling.”

Startled, Rafe whirled around to the entrance of the cave where Harry Flynn stood with a smirk on his face and a gun in his hand.

Clearly Mathis hadn’t been expecting company either, as he too spun around at the sound, his shoulder clipping the edge of the statue he was standing next to. The sound of a stone plate being pressed back could be heard in the cave and then there was a second of silence as everybody held their breath, waiting for something to happen. But nobody was prepared when suddenly a bunch of sharp spikes shot out of the wall facing the pressure plates on Mathis side, spearing into his body. The man had only time to widen his eyes in shock and make a gurgled sound before he fell silent and the spikes retracted back into the wall, dropping the lifeless body on the floor with a thump.

The activation of the old mechanism took its toll on the cave and an ominous rumbling went through the stone, before parts of the ceiling started to crumble. Flynn had only seconds to jump away from the entrance of the cave, narrowly missing being crushed by falling stones and losing his gun in the process.

When it seemed as the cave had settled again, Flynn said: “That could have gone better.” Although he didn’t appear too bothered by it all, now that he was safe again.

“Yes, you just effectively destroyed the only way out of this cave, so I guess _it could have gone better_ ”, sneered Rafe in response, flickering the beam of his flashlight toward the crumbled entry of the cave, to highlight his point.

“A cave you wouldn’t even be in, if you hadn’t nicked my stuff, so don’t go blaming me now, mate.”  
He scoffed, not even bothering responding to that, which didn’t stop Flynn from continuing, “besides, that just means the only way is forward”. He gestured towards the closed gate.

A cold smile formed on Rafes face as he said, “You want to activate the mechanism?”, he opened his arms in a sweeping gesture, “please, be my guest.”

The Brit joined Rafe next to the first statue and studied the panels there. He threw a look towards Mathis’ dead body, “Well, at least we can rule out one panel.”

“Leaving four on this side, and three on the other”, Rafe pointed out, “also any combination of them, which is much more likely.”

“Alright, no need to be so pessimistic. But I think you’re right about it being a combination. The Statues are of Eustace and his brother, right? So what if this mechanism is sort of a guarantee that they can only get in together?”

He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but Rafe could see the logic behind that, and besides that still left them with way too many options.

Meanwhile, Flynn made his way over to the other statue, carefully stepping around the dead body. After a few moments he called out, “hey, the first symbol on the bottom row on your side is that square thing, yeah?” Hearing the confirmation, he went on: “On the same spot on this side is a symbol that put together with that, makes up the cyphered version of brother, in Eustace’s letter. I am pretty sure I just found our combination.”

Rafe considered this for a moment, “Sure enough to bet your life on it? The mechanism of the spikes is slow enough that we can get out of the way, but I doubt the cave is going the withstand much more.”

“Only one way to find out, or do you have a better suggestion?”  
He didn’t need to see Flynn’s face to know he had an annoying grin on his face, clearly already aware that the other man did have no such thing. Annoyed at the whole thing, he sighed before giving in. “Fine, on three.”

They counted down together and then pressed down the panels at the same time, before jumping forward, in case the spikes decided to make a reappearance. At first nothing happened, then the mechanism connecting the gate and the statues started slowly moving, opening the gate just enough to get through before coming to a halt again.

Before Flynn had the chance to say anything, Rafe strode right through the new opening. Snickering, the other followed him, practically radiating smugness.

The gate led into a room that clearly once served as a treasury, but the only thing inside it now were rotten clothes and other useless junk. Both of them clearly had encountered situations like this before, so they only paused for a moment in disappointment before starting to inspect everything that was left.

Getting more and more annoyed, Rafe finally found something that seemed to be at least preserved. Inside a closed bottle was some sort of necklace and a letter, that survived the years because of the airtight seal of the vessel. Not even bothering with trying to get the seal off, he just took a rock and broke open the neck of the bottle. This alerted Flynn, who came over to see what the noise was. Flynn took the necklace, to inspect it while Rafe was reading the letter. Finding nothing remarkable about it but putting it in his pocket nonetheless, he also turned his attention towards the paper.

After having finished reading, Flynn said: “So Hector took the treasure to keep it safe, since they feared they would lose control over the island. And he brought it to their sister. Great.”

Rafe carefully folded up the letter to put it into his pocket, “For now let’s just get out of here.” He motioned towards a small opening in the back, where the cave in from before had opened up a hole into another tunnel.

It turned out that the tunnel led down to the big cave again, and from there they could simply climb out the way they came from, using the ropes Rafe and Mathis had left before. Neither of them mentioned it, but they were both glad to be breathing in fresh air again.

 

Back on top of the hill, Rafe was just thinking about a way to get the necklace from Flynn, since foolishly enough, he didn’t have a gun on him, when the man started talking.

“Look mate, I am just in this for the money. I don’t really give a shit about my employer. Why not keep working together, eh?” Not surprised or particularly impressed, Rafe countered: “So you need me for funding. I don’t need you.”

Flynn smiled slyly, “You just needed me to safe your ass, and also I know where their sister lived. Do you?”

Still not really convinced by this, the smaller man asked: “How do I know you’re not just going to screw me over like you’re doing right now to your current employer?”

“Well, that’s going to be a lot harder to do when you’re expecting it. Also, just now two people were necessary to complete to get through the door, that could happen again”, Flynn paused, “also I might need your help to get into the sister’s place.”

He offered his hand, with a smile that was probably supposed to look trustworthy but missed the mark, “come on, buddy, I was right about the puzzle, I am right now. Partners?”

Rafe sighed, “fine, partners.” He shook Harry Flynn’s hand for the second time this week.


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my favourite chapter so far, I hope you guys enjoy it as well

Rafe’s boat was still in the harbour of jersey, so they had to take the ferry back there first, before they could leave for where ever they were going next. Flynn was still refusing to share that detail, simply stating that he would tell him once they were back out on open waters.

After Rafe drove them out of the harbour he slowed the boat down, not wanting to go any further without knowing at least the country they were going to.

“You want to tell me where we’re going now?”

Flynn, who had taken the liberty of using Rafes laptop while the man was driving, turned the display to show what was on it. “France. The mansion where the sister used to live is now the home of one of the most exclusive associations in Europe. They throw a party every three months, in order to find new members to join, which is the only time the house is open to members of the public. And when I say open to the public, I don’t actually mean the public. I guess you don’t happen to already be a member, by any chance?”

“No, but I have heard of them before”, said Rafe, while picking up speed again, now that he knew where to go. “When is the next party?”

That made Flynn snicker, “’course you have, rich bastard. The next one is 5 days from now, is that enough time to get us in?”

The American didn’t even have to think about it, “yes, I just have to make a few calls once we reach France.”

That answer satisfied Flynn, and he turned back to the laptop again, to do some more research about the event and the building.

As soon as they reached the main land of France, Rafe got his bags ready and told his companion to use the time to look for the nearest appropriate hotel, which he almost immediately regretted given how Flynn’s face lit up when he threw him his credit card.

After he had finished packing, he unceremoniously thrust his bags at Flynn. “You carry these to the hotel and get us checked in, while I’ll start calling.” Flynn looked like he wanted to argue but apparently thought better of it, and started walking down the pier with the bags around his shoulder. Rafe followed right behind, phone already at his ear.

He spent the whole walk and the time it took to get checked in, reaching out to an acquaintance of his named Mary, who readily jumped at the idea to get him an invitation to the event. Bringing someone with him however, turned out to be a bit more complicated. He really could only think of one way to get Flynn into the event without anyone asking too many questions.

Doing his best to keep his tone pleasant, he explained that he was in the country with _his partner_ and he would loath to leave him alone for the evening, maybe would even consider not coming at all, given the choice.

Mary’s tone immediately changed after hearing that and she agreed that of course his boyfriend would also have to come and that she couldn’t wait to meet him. Rafe was glad that the woman couldn’t see his face, as he involuntarily rolled his eyes at the infantile term. _Boyfriend_. Really, he wasn’t twelve.

He assured Mary that he would introduce them during the event and ended the call, now that he was sure they were on the guest list.

When Flynn walked over to the elevators, where Rafe was waiting for him, some of the displeasure must have still shown on his face, as the thief asked: “What? Did it not work out as smoothly as expected?”

Rafe waved off that notion while they stepped into the elevator, “no, no, I got us both in,” he grimaced, “you just not in the way I was planning.”

That got Flynn to raise an eyebrow. “Care to elaborate on that?”

“Well, Mary could only make an exception for a plus one, if that plus one is my date for the evening”, explained Rafe, still not too happy about that development.

“I am posing as your date?”, Flynn asked, clearly amused, “I always thought I’d make a great trophy wife.”

Rafe rolled his eyes at that, “I assume you don’t own an appropriate suit for this kind of event.”

Now Flynn started smirking outright, “Right now I don’t even own a bloody phone, mate”, he lifted his wrist with Rafe’s Rolex around it, “but I do own an appropriate watch for this kind of event.”

Despite himself, Rafe snorted at that, “Good to know that there is at least one thing already taken care of.”

That reaction seemed to surprise Flynn, he probably assumed that Rafe would demand his watch back, but the man had no interest in just taking it back. Flynn may not have won it fair and square but he had won it nonetheless. Maybe they could have a rematch someday.

A dinging sound signalled that the elevator had reached their destination and before they both went into their respective rooms, they agreed that they would plan further details tomorrow at breakfast.

On one hand, Rafe was itching to continue the hunt for the treasure, on the other hand, he was also really looking forward to a hot shower and a few hours of sleep.

Getting under the spray of steamy water and washing off the sweat and dirt from the day was heavenly. For a while, Rafe just let the almost scalding water loosen up his muscles while he thought about the events of the day that led him here.

So far, Flynn had been helpful, especially since he was better informed about King John but then again, Rafe had already followed so-called experts once and that hadn’t turned out too pleasant. At least this time he wasn’t the damn third wheel, so far they were equal partners.  
That reminded him of their cover for the event and he sighed. If he was being honest, his problem wasn’t so much about being in a pretend relationship with Flynn and more about going to the event at all. He expected at least a few people there knew his family, and that wasn’t exactly his favourite topic of conversation. With any luck, bringing a date might serve as enough of a subject for small talk to get through the evening.

.

.

The next morning, Rafe only barely managed to get up on time. He had never been a morning person, instead he was most active during the night hours, which was alright for a treasure hunter, but less suitable for a business man, as his father had reminded him often enough.  
He could only hope that Flynn was less of his obnoxious self in the morning or at least had the decency to wait until Rafe had enough caffeine in his system to deal with it.

As it turned out, his worries were unnecessary, as Flynn too seemed more intent on practically inhaling coffee than on being sociable for the first half of breakfast.  
When they were both ready to interact with human beings again, Flynn asked: “So, what’s on the plan today?”

“Getting suits, if we want them to be ready for the event. We should also come up with some story of how we got together, I know at least Mary will ask about that”, answered Rafe, before finishing the last of his coffee.

Flynn grinned, “let’s just go with mostly the truth. We met in a bar and I impressed you with my amazing pool skills.”

“I thought you said the truth,” shot Rafe back, with a grin on his own, “as far as I remember the only person you impressed to the point of distraction was yourself.”

“Won though, didn’t I?”, quipped the Brit in response.

Rafe answered that just with an unimpressed face, they both knew Rafe had let him win intentionally.  
This made Flynn chuckle and he raised his hands in mock surrender, “Alright, alright. We can at least agree on the bar part. I am sure we can come up with something for the rest.”

.

.

For their suits, Rafe asked the receptionist if the hotel had any recommendations and thankfully there was a tailor just a few streets away, where, for the right amount of money, they were able to get an appointment the same day.

In the shop, an older woman took care of them, she showed them the available pieces and offered advice on what would fit them best, even though she seemed scandalized when she was told for which date they needed the suits.

While his knowledge of Suits was limited, Flynn’s French was better than Rafes, so he played translator between the shopkeeper and Rafe.

When the American had narrowed down the choice to a few suits, Flynn and the woman had apparently decided that Rafe would have to play dress up doll with all of his picks, and Flynn would simply take one that fit with it.

Glaring at the man, who had made himself comfortable in the chair in front of the fitting room looking very satisfied with himself, Rafe went into the fitting room.

All the suits were very nice, but the third one he tried on seemed to get the biggest response. When he stepped out in the white Smoking, the shopkeeper said something too fast for Rafe to follow, but he understood when Flynn said he agreed with her. The translation he got seemed suspiciously short in comparison, but he decided to ignore that.

“It’s a bit too flashy for our needs, especially combined with the other one. I think we should go with the grey and the navy one”, decided Rafe after another look at himself in the mirror.

Flynn shrugged, “Pity, but your choice, love.”

Rafe was glad he had his back to Flynn, since he wasn’t sure what kind off face he was making as a reaction to that. He had already caught on to the others habit of tacking nicknames at the end of his sentences as natural as breathing, but getting called _love_ was a bit different from mate.  
Schooling his features into something resembling irritation, he turned around. Flynn just made his best try at an innocent face and said: “Just getting into character. Darling.”

After finally picking their suits, getting them fitted and Rafe paying an outlandish amount of money for them, the old woman told them that they could come and get them the day after tomorrow. When she walked away, she seemed dissatisfied with something but Flynn just said the woman was upset that he didn’t take the white smoking, since it had clearly been the best look.

.

.

Rafe was surprised to find that the next few days were… pleasant. Flynn was still a cocky bastard who couldn’t shut up for more than five minutes at a time, but it was nice to have someone to help with the planning and research, and just to have a conversation with, to be honest.

Even when Flynn’s help in coming up with a believable cover story wasn’t all that useful. He tended to be a bit too creative, coming up with outlandish stories that no one would ever believe, and usually sounded like bad movie plots. Sometimes Rafe himself would add to these suggestions, leading to not very productive conversations as they would spend the rest of it trying to outdo each other with ridiculous ideas.

One thing Rafe regretted was expressing irritation at Flynn’s little nickname, since now pet names were practically the only thing the man was calling him, gleefully stating that they were supposed to appear like a couple, when asked to stop.

An hour ago, they both had gone up to their rooms to get ready for the evening. Rafe had hoped into the shower, losing track of time for a while and just enjoying the hot water, before he caught himself. Just as he got out and was beginning to dry off, there was a knock at the door. In lack of a better option, he slung the towel around his hips and went to open the door, revealing Flynn- Harry, Rafe mentally corrected himself; he could hardly go around tonight and call his partner by his last name.

Whatever the Brit had been about to say, he stopped when he saw Rafe in only his towel and still glistening from the shower. After a few seconds of silence, Rafe asked: “What is it?”

Pulling Harry out from whatever stupor he was in, the man pointed to the lose tie around his neck. “I assume you know how to tie this.” Rafe nodded, and reached out for the dark blue fabric.

“Shouldn’t you also be getting dressed already?” questioned Harry, eyeing his undressed state.

“I may have lost track of time a little”, Rafe admitted, while he smoothed down the dark grey collar of the dress shirt over the tie.  
To that Harry raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you were going over the blueprints. Again.” As if sensing his reluctance to answer that, the Brit started smirking and continued: “Or were you just wasting all that time in the shower?”

Refusing to be embarrassed, Rafe rolled his eyes. “I took my time in the shower, so what.”  
Harrys smirk turned suggestive, and before he could even open his mouth, Rafe said: “Not like that, idiot.”

Harry chuckled and stepped back outside, “Sure, love. Let’s finish getting ready and meet downstairs in fifteen.”

Making sure to not waste any more time, Rafe go dressed quickly and just took a moment to fix his hair. When he got downstairs, he couldn’t help but think that Harry cleaned up nicely. The suit was fitted well and made sure he cut a nice figure, even as he was fiddling with his cufflinks, clearly not used to them.

Announcing his arrival, Rafe asked: “Ready?” Harry looked up and grinned, “Let’s do this.”

As promised, Mary had gotten them onto the guest list and they were able to walk into the event without a problem. They quickly decided to settle near the bar, in order to better blend in while scanning the surroundings.

After a moment, Harry leaned in to make sure they weren’t overheard, and quietly said: “I bet our best chance to find anything is in the restricted area over there. We just need to find a way to get through that security guy in front of it.”

Before Rafe had a chance to reply, a voice interrupted them.

“Rafe, there you are! And you must be the boyfriend, so lovely to meet you.”

Putting on his best fake smile, Rafe greeted Mary before introducing her to Harry, which she had obviously been waiting for. Not one to hide her curiosity, she immediately started asking away: “So what do you do Harry? Did you two meet through work?”

Putting his arm around Rafe, Harry launched into the story that they eventually agreed upon, which wasn’t too far from the truth. He explained that they met in a bar, and that when they started talking about treasure hunting, they simply connected.

Delighted by this story, Mary clasped her hands, “That is just so sweet. It’s been time that Rafe found someone. So you’re a treasure hunter? Like that Nathan Drake guy?”

Rafe’s smile turned from fake to none existent and Harry could feel him stiffen in his arm. Realising that he needed to diffuse this situation as quickly as possible, he answered with a noncommittal “In a way”, before excusing them under the guise of recognizing someone across the room.

When they were at a safe distance, he turned to the other man. “Ok, what was that about? How do you know Drake?”

Annoyance and anger cursed through Rafe like every time he heard that name. Everyone always wanted to talk about Nathan fucking Drake, the perfect reminder of his failures and the things he wanted to achieve but hadn’t. Through gritted teeth he responded, “We worked together years ago. Before he became _a_ _legend_.”

Harry snorted, “Not his biggest fan then, I suppose.”

“I should have let him rot in prison in Mexico when I had the chance”, muttered Rafe with a bitter smile. He took a large swig of his drink, trying to wash away the taste this topic of conversation left with him.

The picture of Nathan Drake in prison seemed to amuse Harry, “I would love to hear that story. Bastard’s bloody annoying, I give you that.”

Something caught Rafe’s attention, “Another time. I just saw the owner of the building over there. I think I should introduce myself, see what I can find out.”

“You do that, darling. I’ll check out the second room over there to make sure we didn’t miss anything.”

With that, they both went off, focusing back on their original reason to be here. Talking to the owner turned out to be not very helpful, while the man loved to brattle on about his possessions, he had no useful information about the building or anything in it. He was also way too intend on talking about the Adler family business and his parents, which gave Rafe the urge to smash his glass against the man’s skull.

Just as he was about to stop the conversation, one way or another, he saw Harry coming up to them with an excited look on his face. Harry shook the owners hand with a nod before turning to Rafe. Putting his arm around the man’s waist, he pressed a kiss on his cheek and whispered something in his ear, making it look like he was just being affectionate to his partner to everyone watching.

Rafe tried to ignore how little he had to pretend to seem comfortable with that action, when really it should have been harder to act like the casual affection from Harry was something he was used to. Instead he focused on the fact that there seemed to be another way into the area.

Excusing themselves, they casually walked into the other room, Harry’s arm still around Rafes waist.

The second room of the event was where the band was playing and a few people were slow dancing to it in front of the small stage, while others were seated at the various tables scattered around the room.

Harry led them to the entrance of the balcony, and Rafe immediately knew why. The owners had added a set of stairs leading down into the garden that hadn’t been on their blueprints. From the garden they would be able to get into the restricted area without alerting the security guard stationed before it.

Making sure nobody was watching them, they quickly walked down. Thankfully the garden lights weren’t turned on, so they didn’t need to worry about being seen while they made their way over to the side of the area they were trying to get into.

Luck seemed to be on their side as Rafe spotted an open window they could reach with a little work. He waved towards it, “Harry, give me a boost up there.”

Looking where he motioned, Harry said: “Alright, just a second, love”, and proceeded to pull out a pair of gloves out of his pockets. Caught off guard, Rafe blinked. “Do you always carry a pair of gloves with you?”

Harry grinned and shrugged, “You never know when you’re gonna need them.”

After he put them on, the got to work. He boosted Rafe up so he was high enough to climb into the window, who in turn then pulled him up into it.

The room they were in now was a small study, with not much in it. Two doors were leading out of the room, one into a hallway and the other into the library. They agreed to start looking for clues in the library, since it was one of the oldest rooms in the mansion.

Harry let out a low whistle when they stepped through the door, “This might take a while. We should probably split up.”

Rafe agreed with both of those statements. The room was massive, and between every other shelf was a vitrine filled with ancient artefacts from the mansions history. Some of those could be discounted simply because they were from the wrong period, but since they were not exactly sure what to look for, they had to look at every other one.

It wasn’t until he had been looking at object after object for at least half an hour, that Rafe found something noteworthy. To make sure, he called over Harry to take a look.

“The shape of that looks familiar, doesn’t it?” he asked, pointing at a silver orb with what seemed like a strangely shaped key hole in it.

“The necklace! It must be the key to open this thing”, agreed Harry grinning and smacking Rafe’s shoulder in excitement, “oh that is brilliant sweetheart.”

It didn’t take long for the Brit to break open the lock on the vitrine, and Rafe slipped the orb into his pocket. They started to make their way back to the door, when they suddenly heard footsteps coming closer. For a second they shared a panicked look, then Harry turned to Rafe, “Just follow my lead.”

Then he crowded the perplexed man against one of the bookshelves, putting one hand next to his head and the other on his hip. Then he kissed him.

A confused noise would have left Rafe but was swallowed up by Harry’s lips. He closed his eyes on instinct and after a moment of hesitation, he melted into the kiss, hands clutching the back of Harry’s jacket.  
When he felt Harry’s tongue swiping across his lower lip, he readily opened his mouth, turning the kiss into something downright filthy.

Harry pressed his body even closer, working one thigh between Rafes legs, who was absentmindedly aware of a book digging into his spine but couldn’t bring himself to care. A whine involuntarily left his throat when Harry bit down on his lip.

Then somebody cleared his throat, startling both of them. To their right was a clearly embarrassed security guard, who said: “Excuse me gentlemen, I am afraid you’re not allowed back here. If you could follow me back to the main area.”

Rafe blinked, still a bit dazed and clutching the back of Harry’s jacket. He slowly let go, while Harry turned to the guard with a bashful smile on his face, “Sorry, we were just looking for a bit of… ah, privacy, you understand.”

The man cleared his throat again, “Right. If you could just follow me.”

He led them back out into the official area and left as quickly as possible.

“We got what we came for, we should probably get out of here”, suggested Rafe a little awkwardly, still reeling on the inside from the kiss. As if sensing this, Harry smirked but thankfully he didn’t comment on it.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here.”


End file.
